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Getting by Giving

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Malachi 3:10, King James Version

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to maximize their giving? And there are other people who are only looking to take and not give to others?

Here’s what I know: Successful people are givers!

They are also smart about who they give to. They also seem to be rewarded for their generosity. They get a huge return because they are willing to give and don’t expect anything in return.

That’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to offer our team the Good Samaritan Bonus program again this year. It was a way for our top producers to give back and they got to choose a very specific cause to donate to. We don’t expect anything in return from the recipient; it’s just a way for us to help and give back to others: Make a Difference!

With that said, please consider giving extra to your favorite charity. One charity I would encourage you to consider gifting to is Tim Goad International. He’s one of our favorites because he has given so much to The Alliance. We encourage you to contribute to Tim and Gaye Goad because they give back so much to us and to others around the world!

Successful people give their time, their money and they serve others. It’s part of how they achieved success in their chosen field. Giving and service is essential to finding success. It’s not just about money. If you ask any millionaire, they will tell that the minute you make it about money then your business becomes much harder to sustain for the long run. A successful, sustainable business has a mission, a purpose built around providing value to others and a purpose that includes helping other people.

Bill Gates knows it, Donald Trump knows it and Steve Jobs knew it. These guys give a lot and they get back a lot by doing good deeds. These are also some of the key thoughts expressed by Adam Grant, the author of “Give and Take” and the youngest tenured professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Grant’s research has been featured in numerous best-selling books and media outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine and USA Today. In 2011, Fortune magazine named him one of the Top 40 Business Professors Under 40.

Grant is a big believer in giving, but he noticed something telling as he studied the success of those who give in a big way. He found that there are lots of givers who are very successful, but there are also many givers who are at the low end of the success scale. Grant also noted that there are a lot fewer givers in the middle than people realize, and givers cluster around the high end and the low end of the success scale.

The reason for this? It’s because people are classified into one of three categories.

People are either Givers, Matchers or Takers.

Takers: It’s exactly how it sounds. They are looking for any possible way to come out ahead every single time. They are very defensive and look for ways to “win” when they meet, talk and are around other people.

Matchers: These people will give where they see they can get something in return. They are looking for each transaction to be as close to even as possible. They will give you exactly as much back as you give them.

Givers: These people give without the expectation of instant gains or even short-term gains. If they end up getting something back, great! In other words, they don’t give to get something out of it. They don’t give based on the possible return.

The Giver gives freely, the Matcher gives when he knows there’s something in it for him and the Taker will avoid giving when possible unless he will get it back with an added gain.